Communication terminal, control method of communication terminal, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

A method of controlling a communication terminal including a near-field communication unit includes setting, as operation settings of the communication terminal, whether to enable wireless communication functions by the near-field communication unit and controlling to display a predetermined notification before displaying a screen for performing a login request upon condition that a user operation to transition to a screen for performing a login request to an external device has been received, and that settings have not been made in the setting of the communication terminal at least to enable wireless communication functions by the near-field communication unit as operation settings of the communication terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/979,224, which was filed on May 14, 2018 and which claims priority toJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-100154, which was filed on May 19,2017 and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to a communication terminal that logsinto an external device via near-field communication.

Description of the Related Art

Image processing devices provide users with various functions, such asprinting functions, copying functions, file transmission functions, andso forth. In a case where a user uses a function that an imageprocessing device provides, the user needs to log into the imageprocessing device. A known technique for user login is to transmit alogin request to the image processing device based on a communicationterminal, such as a mobile terminal, coming close to the imageprocessing device, whereby the user logs into the image processingdevice (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-66217).

SUMMARY

A communication terminal that transmits a login request to an externaldevice includes a near-field communication interface, a display device,a memory device that stores instructions, and at least one processorthat executes the instructions to cause the communication terminal toperform operations including setting, as operation settings of thecommunication terminal, whether to enable wireless communicationfunctions by the near-field communication interface, and controlling todisplay a predetermined notification before displaying a screen forperforming the login request, upon condition that a user operation totransition to a screen for performing a login request to an externaldevice has been received, and that settings have not been made at leastto enable wireless communication functions by the near-fieldcommunication interface as operation settings of the communicationterminal.

Further features will become apparent from the following description ofexemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof a communication terminal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configurationof the communication terminal.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof an MFP.

FIGS. 5A through 5D are diagrams for describing an example of screensdisplayed on an operating unit of the communication terminal.

FIGS. 6A through 6D are diagrams for describing an example of screensdisplayed on the operating unit of the communication terminal.

FIGS. 7A through 7C are diagrams for describing an example of screensdisplayed on the operating unit of the communication terminal.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating control of the communicationterminal.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating control of the communicationterminal.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating control of the communicationterminal.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating control of the MFP.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing data communication using Bluetooth®LE.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams for describing an example of screensdisplayed on an operating unit of the MFP.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The conventional series of login processing using a communicationterminal did not take into consideration performing detailed control ina case of performing login processing, such as guidance and errornotification regarding a case of the user performing login. Anarrangement for improving user convenience in a case of logging in froma communication terminal to an external device will be described below.For example, an arrangement will be described where, in a controlsequence for a case where near-field communication settings necessary tologin to the image processing device have not been properly set at thecommunication terminal, the user is enabled to comprehend why loginfailed. Also, an arrangement will be described where, in a case wheresettings used for login processing have not been appropriately made, theuser is notified before a login request is made, thereby suppressingunnecessary user operations from being performed.

An embodiment for carrying out the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the followingembodiment is not see to be limiting, and that not all of thecombination of features described in the embodiment are essential.

First Embodiment

First, the configuration of a communication system according to thepresent disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Thesystem according to the present embodiment includes a communicationterminal 102, multifunction peripheral (MFP) 101, and an access point(AP) 103.

The communication terminal 102 can perform wireless communication basedon the IEEE 802.11 standard (hereinafter referred to as 802.11standard). The communication terminal 102 can connect to a network thatthe AP 103 provides by the user inputting a service set identifier(SSID) and security key to the communication terminal 102 for connectingto the AP 103.

The MFP 101 is a multifunction device including functions such asscanning, printing, copying, and so forth. Upon the SSID and securitykey for connecting to the AP 103 being set as wireless network settingsfor the MFP 101, the communication terminal 102 and MFP 101 can performwireless communication via the AP 103. The MFP 101 can receive printingdata from the communication terminal 102 via wireless communication andperform printing.

The MFP 101 according to the present embodiment can also perform userauthentication management, assuming user login, from a perspective ofsecurity. If a user is not logged in, the MFP 101 including userauthentication management set to ON is in a state where a login screenis displayed on the operating unit, and the functions that the MFP 101provides are not available. The MFP 101 determines whether to permitlogin of a user, based on user authentication information (also referredto as user credentials) received from the user in a state where thelogin screen is displayed. Once login of the user is permitted, the MFP101 displays a main screen (also referred to as main menu) on theoperating unit of the MFP 101. The user can use the functions that theMFP 101 provides, such as copying and transmission functions, via themain screen displayed on the operating unit. Hereinafter, enabling theuser to login and transitioning to a state where the functions that theMFP 101 are used via the operating unit of the MFP 101 will be referredto as local login.

The communication system according to the present embodiment includesmobile cooperation functions, where functions are provided to the userby the communication terminal 102 and the MFP 101 cooperating. Forexample, a user with the communication terminal 102 can execute acooperative login function where particular users are logged into theMFP 101 by bringing the communication terminal 102 close to the MFP 101.The communication terminal 102 can perform data communication with theMFP 101 using near-field communication. For example, the communicationterminal 102 performs data communication relating to cooperation loginusing near-field communication.

The MFP 101 and communication terminal 102 can also cooperate to executescan cooperation functions, where a paper original is scanned, andtransmitted or saved. Print release functions can be executed, where aprint instruction is provided from the operating unit of thecommunication terminal 102 regarding print data kept at the MFP 101.

The communication terminal 102 communicates with the MFP 101 via the AP103. For example, the communication terminal 102 can exchange print dataand scan data with the MFP 101 via the AP 103.

The MFP 101 can also operate in an access point mode. In a case ofoperating in the access point mode, the MFP 101 operates as a softwareaccess point. The communication terminal 102 can execute direct wirelesscommunication with the MFP 101 without going through a relay device,such as the AP 103, by connecting to the software AP that the MFP 101provides. The communication terminal 102 can execute the various typesof cooperation functions without going through the AP 103 by connectingto the MFP 101 using direct wireless communication with the MFP 101.

While a smartphone or tablet personal computer (PC) are examples of acommunication terminal in the present embodiment, this is notrestrictive. Any other communication terminal, such as wearable devicesand so forth, which can execute near-field communication can be used.

While an MFP is an example in the present embodiment of an externaldevice that cooperates with the communication terminal, this is notrestrictive. For example, single-function scanners, printers, 3Dprinters, and so forth are also applicable. In addition,videoconferencing system terminals, automotive navigation devices,interactive markerboards, and other home appliances and the like arealso applicable.

Communication Terminal

The hardware configuration of the communication terminal 102 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 2. A central processing unit (CPU) 111included in a control unit 110 reads out control programs stored in readonly memory (ROM) 112 or storage 114, and controls the communicationterminal 102.

The control unit 110 includes the CPU 111, ROM 112, random access memory(RAM) 113, the storage 114, an operating unit interface 115, and acamera interface 117 connected to the bus. The control unit 110 includesa wireless LAN interface 122 and Bluetooth® interface 123 ascommunication interfaces for communication with external devices. In thepresent embodiment, the wireless LAN interface 122 and Bluetooth®interface 123 are described as being separate hardware, but this is notrestrictive. An arrangement can be provided where a combo chip thatrealizes wireless communication by wireless LAN and near-fieldcommunication by Bluetooth® by a single hardware arrangement, therebyrealizing wireless communication by wireless LAN and near-fieldcommunication by Bluetooth®.

The CPU 111 is a central processing unit (processor) that controlsoperations of the entire control unit 110. The RAM 113 is volatilememory, and is used as work area and a temporary storage region forloading various types of control programs stored in the ROM 112 andstorage 114.

The ROM 112 is non-volatile memory, storing a boot program for thecommunication terminal 102 and so forth. The storage 114 is non-volatileflash memory with a larger storage capacity than the RAM 113. Thestorage 114 stores programs for controlling the communication terminal102. A later-described operating system (OS) 300 and a cooperativeapplication 310 are also stored in the storage 114.

When the communication terminal 102 is being activated, the CPU 111executes the boot program stored in the ROM 112. The boot program is forreading out the programs of the OS 300 stored in the storage 114 andloading into the RAM 113. When the CPU 111 executes the boot program,the programs of the OS 300 loaded into the RAM 113 are then executed,and control of the communication terminal 102 is carried out. The CPU111 also performs read/write where data used for operation of thecontrol programs is stored in the RAM 113.

While one CPU 111 in the communication terminal 102 executes eachprocess in the later-described flowcharts, this configuration is notlimiting. For example, multiple CPUs and microprocessors (MPU) cancollaborate to execute each process in the later-described flowcharts.Also, part of the processing can be executed using a hardware circuitsuch as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or the like.

The operating unit interface 115 connects the operating unit 116 andcontrol unit 110. The operating unit 116 includes a touch panel that candetect touch operations by a user, and a display panel that displaysvarious types of screens. The operating unit 116 functions as a displayunit that displays information, and as an accepting unit that acceptsuser instructions. The operating unit 116 displays various types ofscreens that the OS 300 and cooperative application 310 provide. Theuser can input desired operation instructions to the communicationterminal 102 by touching operations using, for example, an object suchas the user's finger, on the operating unit 116. The operating unit 116also includes hardware keys. The user can input operation instructionsto the communication terminal 102 by pressing hardware keys.

The camera interface 117 connects the control unit 110 and the camera118. The camera 118 performs imaging based on imaging instructions bythe user. Photographs taken by the camera 118 are stored in apredetermined region in the storage 114.

The wireless LAN interface 122 provides wireless client functions forperforming wireless communication conforming to the 802.11 standard. Thewireless LAN interface 122 also connects to an external AP and executeswireless communication conforming to the 802.11 standard. The externalAP can be the MFP 101 operating in access point mode, or can be the AP103.

The Bluetooth® interface 123 is an interface for exchanging data withvarious types of nearby devices by near-field communication. In thepresent embodiment, a cooperative login function is carried out whereparticular users are logged into the MFP 101 using wirelesscommunication conforming to Bluetooth® (IEEE 802.15.1), particularlyBluetooth® Low Energy, as an example. Software Configuration ofCommunication Terminal

The software configuration of the communication terminal 102 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a function block diagramof software that is realized by the CPU 111 reading out control programsstored in the ROM 112 and storage 114.

The OS 300 is basic software that controls the overall operations of thecommunication terminal 102. Examples of the OS 300 include Android™provided by Google LLC, iOS® provided by Apple® Inc., and so forth.

Various applications, including the later-described cooperativeapplication 310, can be installed in the communication terminal 102. TheOS 300 can exchange information among these applications, and changescreens displayed on an operating panel 205 based on instructionsreceived from the application.

The OS 300 includes a framework for controlling the hardware of thecommunication terminal 102 from various types of applications, andprovides the applications operating on the OS 300 with functions forusing the various types of hardware. The OS 300 includes a Bluetooth®control unit 301 and wireless network control unit 302 to control thevarious types of hardware from the applications. The Bluetooth® controlunit 301 interprets instructions from applications, and controls theBluetooth® interface 123 to control the near-field communication withexternal terminals.

For example, in a case of exchanging data with an external device (e.g.,the MFP 101) by Bluetooth® Low Energy communication, the cooperativeapplication 310 commissions the OS 300 to exchange data with theexternal device by Bluetooth® Low Energy communication. The Bluetooth®control unit 301 of the OS 300 that has been commissioned realizesBluetooth® Low Energy communication by controlling the Bluetooth®interface 123. The Bluetooth® control unit 301 also collaborates withthe Bluetooth® interface 123 to obtain the received signal strength(RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator) of externally-receivedBluetooth® signals. The applications call up functions provided by theOS 300 to reference the obtained received signal strength.

The cooperative application 310 can also call up functions provided bythe OS as an Application Program Interface (API) or as a framework forapplications. The cooperative application 310 can switch APs with whichthe wireless LAN interface 122 communicates, or control exchange of databy wireless communication conforming to IEEE 802.11, by calling upfunctions. The wireless network control unit 302 controls wirelesscommunication with external terminals by controlling the wireless LANinterface 122 based on instructions from applications.

The cooperative application 310 stores information as internalinformation, as denoted by reference numerals 311 and 312. The userauthentication information 311 is user authentication information usedfor a login request to the MFP 101. These sets of user authenticationinformation are set via a settings screen of the cooperative application310. The device list information 312 stores external devices, such asMFPs and so forth, which can be cooperation partners for the cooperativeapplication 310. The device list stores management information ofexternal devices, such as device name of the external device registeredby user operations or the like, capabilities, connection information forconnecting to the external device, and so forth. The cooperativeapplication 310 is capable of user search processing of MFPs by a user,registration of external devices such as MFPs in the device list byaccepting manual input, and so forth. Upon accepting a user operation ofselecting an external device such as an MFP or the like registered inthe device list, from a selection screen omitted from illustration, thecooperative application 310 changes the external device which is thecooperation partner to this selected external device.

MFP

The MFP 101 will now be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagramillustrating the hardware configuration of the MFP 101. The MFP 101includes reading functions of reading images and printing function ofprinting images on sheets.

A control unit 130 including the CPU 131 controls the operations of theentire MFP 101. A CPU 131 reads out control programs stored in ROM 132or storage 134, and carries out various types of control, such asprinting control, reading control, and so forth. The ROM 132 storescontrol programs executable by the CPU 131. RAM 133 is main storagememory for the CPU 131, and is used as a work area or a temporarystorage region for loading commands of various types of controlprograms. The storage 134 is a storage unit that stores print data,image data, various types of programs, and various types of settingsinformation. The storage 134 also stores a user management database foruse in a case of performing user authentication management.

In the MFP 101 according to the present embodiment, one CPU 131 executeseach process in the later-described flowchart using one memory device(RAM 133), but this configuration is not seen to be limiting. Forexample, multiple processors, RAM, ROM, and storage can collaborate toexecute each process in the later-described flowcharts.

An operating unit interface 135 connects an operating unit 136 and thecontrol unit 130. The operating unit 136 includes a circuit crystaldisplay unit with touch panel functions, various types of hard keys, andso forth, and functions as a display unit that displays information, andas an accepting unit that accepts user instructions.

A reading unit interface 137 connects a reading unit 138 and the controlunit 130. The reading unit 138 reads originals and generates readimages. The generated read images are transmitted to an external device,used for printing, or the like.

A printing unit interface 139 connects a printing unit 140 and thecontrol unit 130. The printing unit 140 prints images on sheets based onexternally generated print data.

The control unit 130 is also connected to a network omitted fromillustration, via a wired LAN interface 141. The wired LAN interface 141transmits images and information to an external device on the networkthat is omitted from illustration, receives print data and informationfrom the external device, and so forth.

The control unit 130 includes a wireless LAN interface 142 and aBluetooth® interface 143. The wireless LAN interface 142 provideswireless client functions for connecting to an external AP andperforming wireless communication, and functions of a software AP wherethe MFP 101 behaves as an AP.

The Bluetooth® interface 143 is an interface of exchanging data with thevarious types of nearby devices via near-field communication. The MFP101 according to the present embodiment performs communication with thecommunication terminal 102 using near-field communication conforming toBluetooth® Low Energy, and uses the communication terminal 102 toexecute cooperating login functions where the user is caused to login tothe MFP 101. Cooperative Login Function

The cooperative login function according to the present embodiment willnow be described. While methods for a communication terminal and MFP tocooperate to cause a user to log into the MFP have been conceivedheretofore, the series of login processing using the conventionalcommunication terminal to detailed control taking convenience of theuser has not been taken into consideration. For example, noconsideration has been given to a control sequence for a case wherenear-field communication settings necessary to log into the MFP have notbeen properly set at the communication terminal and the user cannotcomprehend why login has failed. This issue is taken into considerationin the present embodiment, and detailed control that was not givensufficient consideration in the series of login processing using theconventional communication terminal is performed, which enablesimprovement in user convenience.

First, an overview of the cooperative application 310 of thecommunication terminal 102 will be described. FIGS. 5A through 7Cexemplify screens displayed on the operating unit 116 of thecommunication terminal 102. FIGS. 5A through 5D illustrate an example ofscreens that the cooperative application provides to the user. Upon anicon of the cooperative application being selected by a user operationat an application list screen (also referred to as drawer) or homescreen of the communication terminal 102, the CPU 111 activates thecooperative application 310. The cooperative application 310 displaysthe top menu illustrated in FIG. 5A on the screen of the communicationterminal 102 once activation processing is completed.

First, the functions of the cooperative application 310 will bedescribed by way of the top menu screen. A currently-selectedcooperating MFP is displayed in a region 501. In the present embodiment,an example of a case where the MFP 101 is specified as the cooperatingpartner is exemplified. The user selecting the region 501 enables thecooperating MFP 101 to be changed, or the state of the cooperating MFP101 or MFP 101 capabilities to be confirmed. An add key 503 is a keythat provides functions to register an MFP that will be a newcooperating partner. The user can register an MFP that will be a newcooperating partner using the add key 503. The cooperative application310 stores information of the MFP, regarding which an instruction hasbeen made by user operations to register as a cooperation partner, inthe device list information 312. Thereafter, the registered MFP 101 canbe selected as a cooperating MFP.

The cooperative application 310 can execute various types of cooperatingfunctions by cooperating with the MFP 101 specified as a cooperatingpartner (e.g., MFP 101). For example, cooperation functions such asprint cooperation, scan cooperation, and so forth, can be executed. Adocument key is a key that is used in a case of transmitting image dataor document data stored in the communication terminal 102 to thecooperating MFP 101, and printing. The scan key is a key that is used ina case of executing scan cooperation functions of scanning an originalat the cooperating MFP 101, and reading data obtained by scanning intothe storage 114 of the communication terminal 102. A capture key is akey that is used in a case of imaging a document or markerboard or thelike using the camera 118. A print release key is a key that is used ina case of providing a print instruction regarding print data stored inthe MFP 101, from the operating unit of the communication terminal 102.

A key 502 is a key that is used in a case of executing the cooperationlogin function where a particular user is caused to be logged in. Whenthe key 502 is selected, the cooperative application 310 transitions thescreen displayed on the operating unit 116 to a panel login screenillustrated in FIG. 5B.

A panel login screen displays MFPs in the vicinity of the communicationterminal 102. A region 511 displays a list of information indicatingMFPs that are login candidates that the cooperative application 310 hasdetermining to be in the vicinity of the communication terminal 102.

The panel login screen also displays information prompting the user tobring the communication device closer to the external device to whichlogin is desired. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the user thatwants to use the cooperative login function can be visually notifiedthat there are external devices nearby that are candidates for thecooperative login function. The information indicating the MFPs alsoincludes reception level representing the received signal strength.

Accordingly, in a case where the user comes close to an MFP for whichlogin is desired, but a login candidate with a high reception level isnot found, this can indicate to the user that this MFP cannot be loggedinto.

The cooperative application 310 determines whether an MFP that is alogin candidate is present in the vicinity of the communication terminal102, based on Bluetooth® Low Energy advertising packets that externaldevices (e.g., the MFP 101) in the vicinity transmit at predeterminedintervals (e.g., 30 millisecond intervals). The advertising packets thatthe MFP 101 sends include information illustrated in Table 1, forexample.

TABLE 1 Item Content Local Name Name of Device For example, MFP CXXXManufacturer Specific Identifier of corporation and Data optional dataService UUIDs UUID for identifying service provided by device

The cooperative application 310 references the Local Name andManufacturer Specific Data included in the advertising packets of thereceived Bluetooth® waves. External devices that the cooperativeapplication 310 supports are extracted from the external devicestransmitting advertising packets, based on the information obtained byreferencing, and displayed in the login screen. That is, the cooperativeapplication 310 effects control so that even if advertising packets sentfrom an external device that cannot provide login functions arereceived, no display thereof is made in the region 511.

A sensitivity adjustment key 512 is a key used in a case of adjustingBluetooth® sensitivity. For example, the user can select the sensitivityadjustment key 512 in a case where connection with an MFP is unstable orthe like, and can adjust Bluetooth® sensitivity. This function enables athreshold value used for determining whether an MFP is being approachedto be calibrated, taking into consideration individual differences ofthe Bluetooth® interface of the communication terminal 102, casingmaterials, effects of protective cases, radio wave environment in thearea, and so forth. In a case where the sensitivity adjustment key isselected, the cooperative application 310 displays the sensitivityadjustment screen illustrated in FIG. 7A. The sensitivity adjustmentscreen displays information 701 indicating a method of how to performsensitivity adjustment. Upon an OK key 702 being selected, Bluetooth®sensitivity adjustment is executed.

Returning to FIGS. 5A through 5D, a description is provided regarding amethod of executing cooperation login. Upon determining that thecommunication terminal 102 is sufficiently near the MFP 101 sendingadvertising packets, the cooperative application 310 transmits a loginrequest to the MFP 101. The MFP 101 receiving the login request decideswhether to permit the login based on the login request. The MFP 101notifies the login results to the communication terminal 102 viaBluetooth® Low Energy communication. In a case where login issuccessful, the cooperative application 310 displays thelogin-successful screen illustrated in FIG. 5C, and in a case wherelogin failed, the authentication error screen illustrated in FIG. 5D isdisplayed.

A pop-up 521 is information indicating that login is successful. Apop-up 531 is a notification that the login failed, and is informationsuggesting the user to reconfirm the settings and state of thecommunication terminal 102 or MFP 101.

Thus, the user can log into the MFP 101 simply by bringing thecommunication terminal 102 near to the MFP 101. After user login, a mainscreen is displayed on the operating unit 136 of the MFP 101. FIGS. 13Aand 13B are examples of a screen displayed on the operating unit 136 ofthe MFP 101, with FIG. 13A illustrating an example of the main screen.The user who has executed the cooperative login function described withreference to FIGS. 5A through 5D can thus use the MFP's 101 functionsvia the MFP's 101 operating unit 136. This enables users to login to anMFP simply by holding the user's communication terminal up to the MFP.Accordingly, the trouble of operations such as inputting user ID andpassword in a case of logging into an MFP can be reduced.

Additional detailed control is also performed in the present embodiment,not just the basic login control described with reference to FIGS. 5Athrough 5D. A specific control method will be described below withreference to the flowcharts in FIGS. 8 through 11.

FIGS. 8 through 10 are flowcharts illustrating control of thecommunication terminal 102. The operations (steps) illustrated in theflowcharts in the FIGS. 8 through 10 are realized by the CPU 111 readingout programs for realizing control modules, stored in the ROM 112 orstorage 114, loading the programs to the RAM 113, and executing theprograms. The processing illustrated in the flowcharts is realized bythe cooperative application 310 being the main acting entity acting incollaboration with the OS 300 that is a control program. In a case wherea control program that is the main acting entity causing the operationsto occur, the operations will be described with the OS 300 orcooperative application 310 as the main acting entity.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating control of the MFP 101. Theoperations illustrated in the flowchart in FIG. 11 are realized by theCPU 131 reading out programs for realizing control modules, stored inthe ROM 132 or storage 134, loading the programs to the RAM 113, andexecuting the programs.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the communicationterminal 102 in a case where an icon of the cooperative application hasbeen selected via the drawer or home screen of the communicationterminal 102. In S801, the CPU 111 displays the top menu screen on theoperating unit 116. In S802, the CPU 111 determines whether a userinstruction has been accepted using cooperative login function. In acase where a user instruction using the cooperative login function hasbeen accepted, the flow advances to S803. In a case where a userinstruction using the cooperative login function has not been accepted,the flow advances to S804. A user operation using the cooperative loginfunction is, for example, an operation of selecting the key 502displayed on the top menu screen in FIG. 5A. Details of the cooperativelogin processing in S803 will be described below. Upon completion of thecooperative login processing, the CPU 111 transitions the screendisplayed on the operating unit 116 to the top menu screen, and returnsto the processing of S801.

In S804, the CPU 111 judges whether a user instruction using anotherfunction has been accepted. In a case where a user instruction usinganother function has been accepted, the flow advances to S805. In a casewhere a user instruction using another function has not been accepted,the flow is advanced to S806. In S805, the CPU 111 executes the otherfunction based on the user instruction. For example, the CPU 111 canexecute print cooperation functions where image data or document datastored in the communication terminal 102 is transmitted to thecooperating MFP 101, and printing is performed. Scan cooperationfunctions can be executed where the MFP 101 and communication terminal102 cooperate to scan a paper original and transmit or save the scan.The CPU 111 can also execute the print release functions where a printinstruction is provided regarding print data stored at the MFP 101 fromthe operating unit of the communication terminal 102, for example. Uponexecution of functions based on a user instruction being completed, theCPU 111 transitions the screen displayed on the operating unit 116 tothe top menu screen and the flow returns to S801.

Next, in S806, the CPU 111 judges whether an instruction has beenreceived to quit the application. In a case of having received aninstruction to quit the application, execution of the cooperativeapplication 310 is stopped, the screen displayed on the operating unit116 is transitioned to the home screen that the home application of theOS provides, and the series of control ends. In a case of having notaccepted an instruction to quit the application, the flow returns toS801. Thus, the user can execute various cooperative functions includingthe cooperative login function, in a state where the cooperativeapplication 310 is activated.

Next, specific control of the cooperative login function will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 9. Exception processing in a case wherethe cooperative login function cannot be executed due to settings or thestatus at the communication terminal 102 side will be described in theflowchart in FIG. 9.

In S901, the CPU 111 judges whether the wireless communication functionusing the Bluetooth® interface 123 has been set to valid, as operationsettings of the communication terminal 102. The cooperative application310 queries the OS 300 whether the wireless communication function isvalid. In a case of having judged to be valid based on the result of thequery, the flow advances to S904. In a case of having judged to be notvalid (i.e., invalid) based on the result of the query, the flowadvances to S902.

In S902, the CPU 111 displays an error notification screen relating toBluetooth® functions. FIG. 6C illustrates an example of an errornotification screen displayed in S902. A pop-up 621 notifying the userthat the Bluetooth® of the communication terminal 102 should be turnedON is displayed in the error notification screen.

In S903, the CPU 111 switches the screen displayed on the operating unit116 to a Bluetooth® settings screen that the OS provides. Specifically,upon having accepted selection of the OK key by the user, thecooperative application 310 commissions the OS 300 to transition thescreen displayed on the operating unit 116 to the Bluetooth® settingsscreen. The OS 300 switches the screen displayed on the operating unit116 to the Bluetooth® settings screen, while running the cooperativeapplication 310 in the background. The user can change settings ofwhether wireless communication functions using the Bluetooth® interface123 are valid (on) or invalid (off), via the Bluetooth® settings screen.While transitioning to the OS settings screen after having displayed thepop-up in S902 has been provided in the present embodiment as anexample, this is not restrictive. Transitioning to the OS settingsscreen in S903 can be performed without displaying the pop-up in S902.

Upon acceptance of an operation to return to the original screen fromthe settings screen (e.g., a user operation of closing the settingsscreen), the OS 300 switches the screen displayed on the operating unit116 to the screen of the cooperative application 310. The cooperativeapplication 310 transitions the screen displayed on the operating unit116 to the top menu screen, and the processing of S803 ends. Due to theprocessing of S902 through S903, the user can change wirelesscommunication functions to enabled, using the Bluetooth® interface 123,simply by performing operations along with the series of screentransitions provided by the cooperative application 310.

Next, in S904, the CPU 111 judges whether user authenticationinformation has been set. In a case where user authenticationinformation has been set in the user authentication information 311 ofthe cooperative application 310, the flow advances to S908. In a casewhere user authentication information is not set in the userauthentication information 311 of the cooperative application 310, theflow advances to S905.

In S905, the CPU 111 displays an error screen notifying that userinformation has not been set. FIG. 6B illustrates an example of an errorscreen displayed in S905. A pop-up 611 notifying the user that userinformation needs to be set is displayed in this error screen.

In S906, upon accepting user selection of the OK key, the CPU 111switches the screen displayed on the operating unit 116 to a userinformation settings screen. FIG. 7B illustrates an example of a userinformation settings screen provided by the cooperative application 310that is displayed in S906.

The user can input the user authentication information in a region 711to set the user authentication information. In S907, the CPU 111 acceptsthe input of user authentication information. Upon the OK key beingselected, the CPU 111 updates the user authentication information 311based on the user authentication information input to the region 711.When updating is completed, the CPU 111 transitions the screen displayedon the operating unit 116 to the top menu screen, and ends theprocessing of S803. Based on the processing in S905 through S907, theuser can perform user authentication settings, necessary for cooperativelogin functions, following the series of screen transitions.

In S908, the CPU 111 judges whether there is an external deviceregistered as a cooperation partner. In a case where there are one ormore sets of management information in the device list information 312of the cooperative application 310, the flow advances to S912. In a casewhere one or more sets of management information are not in the devicelist information 312 of the cooperative application 310, the flowadvances to S909.

In S909, the CPU 111 displays an error screen notifying that there is noMFP registered as a cooperating partner. FIG. 6D illustrates an exampleof an error screen displayed in S909. This error screen includes apop-up 631 notifying that there is the need to register an MFP as acooperating partner.

In S910, upon accepting user selection of the OK key, the CPU 111switches the screen displayed on the operating unit 116 to aregistration screen for registering a nearby MFP 101 as a cooperatingpartner. FIG. 7C illustrates an example of a registration screen forregistering a nearby MFP 101 displayed in S910, which the cooperativeapplication 310 provides.

The registration screen displays items indicating MFPs in the vicinityof the communication terminal 102. Illustrated here is an example of acase where the MFP 101, and an MFP 104 that is an external deviceseparate from the MFP 101, have been found by searching advertisingpackets. The user can select item 721 or 722 to register the MFP 101corresponding to this item as the cooperating external device.

Returning to description of FIG. 9, in S911 the CPU 111 acceptsregistration processing of the external device based on user operationsvia the registration screen. The CPU 111 stores information of the MFP101 instructed to the registered as a cooperating partner in the devicelist information 312 that the cooperative application 310 manages. Theregistered MFP 101 is thereafter selectable as a cooperating MFP 101.Also, in the series of registration processing, pairing processing isperformed between Bluetooth® Low Energy device, and long term key (LTK),which is an encryption key for maintaining communication between thedevice secure, is exchanged. This processing enables suppressing troubleof inputting personal identification number (PIN) code, necessary forpairing in subsequent Bluetooth® Low Energy communication, and so forth.When registration processing is completed, the CPU 111 transitions thescreen displayed on the operating unit 116 to the top menu screen, andends the processing of S803.

Based on the processing of S909 through S912, in a case where there isno cooperating MFP 101 registered beforehand, processing can beperformed to register an MFP to be used as a cooperating partner, beforeusing the cooperative login function. Pairing is performed betweendevices beforehand, in the series of registration processing, sosituations where PIN code input operations occur can be suppressed whenperforming cooperative login processing using Bluetooth® Low Energycommunication thereafter. Based on the processing in each of the stepsdescribed above, in cases where judgement can be made beforehand thatsettings used for login processing have not been appropriately made, theuser is notified at a stage before searching for external devices in thevicinity, thereby suppressing unnecessary user operations.

Next, in S912, control relating to logging processing from an actualnearby external device search is executed. The processing of S912 willbe described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 10.

In S1001, the CPU 111 displays the panel login screen described in FIG.5B. In S1002, the CPU 111 starts receiving radio waves for Bluetooth®Low Energy communication. Specifically, in order to receive radio wavesfor Bluetooth® Low Energy communication, the cooperative application 310commissions the OS 300 to start reception of radio waves for Bluetooth®Low Energy communication. The OS 300 controls the Bluetooth® interface123 via the Bluetooth® control unit 301 and starts reception ofBluetooth® advertising packets. The OS 300 notifies the cooperativeapplication 310 of received Bluetooth® advertising packets and thereceived signal strength of the advertising packets. The cooperativeapplication 310 temporarily stores the received advertising packets, andthe received strength of the packets.

In S1003, the CPU 111 determines whether an MFP with received signalstrength of Near or greater has been detected. In the presentembodiment, a reception signal strength where it can be assumed that thedistance between the MFP 101 and communication terminal 102 isapproximately 3 m or so, for example is Near. In a case where a packethas been found to have been transmitted from a supported MFP 101, andthe received signal strength of the packet is Near or greater, based onthe analysis results of advertising packets, the cooperative application310 advances the processing to S1004. In a case of a packet transmittedfrom an unsupported external device, or a case where the signal strengthof received advertising packets is smaller than Near, the processing ofS1004 is skipped, and the flow advances to S1005.

In S1004, the CPU 111 displays information indicating the MFP 101 thatis the object of login, on the panel login screen displayed in S1001. Ina case where advertising packets having received signal strength of Nearor greater have been received from multiple MFPs, information indicatingthe multiple MFPs is displayed. The order of priority in which theinformation is displayed can be rearranged as appropriate based on theorder of received signal strength or the like.

In S1005, the CPU 111 determines whether an MFP with received signalstrength of TouchLike or greater has been detected. In the presentembodiment, a reception signal strength where it can be assumed that thedistance between the MFP 101 and communication terminal 102 isapproximately 3 cm or so, for example is TouchLike. In a case where apacket has been found to have been transmitted from a supported MFP 101,and the received signal strength of the packet is TouchLike or greater,based on the analysis results of advertising packets, the cooperativeapplication 310 advances the processing to S1008. In a case of a packettransmitted from an unsupported external device, or a case where thesignal strength of received advertising packets is smaller thanTouchLike, the flow advances to S1006.

The TouchLike and Near threshold values have been calibrated for thecommunication terminal 102 beforehand, by the sensitivity adjustmentfunction described in FIG. 7A. In a case where sensitivity adjustmenthas not been performed even one time, the initial values set at the timeof installing the application are used.

In S1006, The CPU 111 determines whether a predetermined amount of timehas elapsed since starting Bluetooth® Low Energy radio wave reception.In a case where a predetermined amount of time has elapsed from thestart of Bluetooth® Low Energy radio wave reception, the flow advancesto S1007, and a in case where a predetermined amount of time has notelapsed from the start of Bluetooth® Low Energy radio wave reception,the flow returns to S1003 and continues MFP 101 searching processing.

In S1007, the CPU 111 displays a detection error screen indicating thatclose proximity between an MFP and communication terminal 102 was notdetected. FIG. 6A illustrates an example of the detection error screendisplayed in S1007. A pop-up 601 notifying that the communicationterminal 102 needs to be brought closer, and if there is no improvement,sensitivity adjustment should be performed in the detection errorscreen, is displayed. Upon detecting that the OK button has beenselected, the CPU 111 returns the flow to S1002, and searching fornearby MFPs is resumed. Note that an arrangement can be made where, in acase where no MFP 101 of which the received signal strength is Near orgreater has been found, a pop-up indicating that no MFP 101 has beenfound nearby can be displayed.

Next, in S1008, the CPU 111 determines whether the number of MFPs ofwhich the received signal strength detected in S1005 is TouchLike orgreater is one. In a case where the number of MFPs of which the receivedsignal strength is TouchLike or greater, detected in S1005, is one, theflow advances to S1009, and in a case where the number of MFPs of whichthe received signal strength is TouchLike or greater, detected in S1005,is not one, the flow advances to S1007. The processing in S1008 isexemption processing to suppress transmission of login requests tomultiple MFPs.

In S1009, the CPU 111 determines whether the MFP 101 detected in S1005is an MFP stored in the device list information 312. In a case where thedetected MFP is an MFP stored in the device list information 312, theflow advances to S1010, and in a case where the detected MFP is not anMFP stored in the device list information 312, the flow advances to theMFP registration sequence of S909 and thereafter.

In S1010, the CPU 111 establishes a Bluetooth® Low Energy connectionwith the MFP 101 detected in S1005. To facilitate explanation,description will be provided of the following steps regarding an exampleof a case where advertising packets of the MFP 101 have been detected bythe communication terminal 102 at a received strength of TouchLike orgreater.

Upon a Bluetooth® Low Energy connection being established with the MFP101, the MFP 101 and communication terminal 102 are in a state whereGeneric Attributes (GATT) communication can be performed. Specifically,the cooperative application 310 commissions the OS 300 to startBluetooth® Low Energy communication with the MFP 101, in order to startBluetooth® Low Energy communication. The OS 300 controls the Bluetooth®interface 123 via the Bluetooth® control unit 301 to start Bluetooth®Low Energy communication with the MFP 101.

Next, GATT communication will be described. The MFP 101 according to thepresent embodiment includes a GATT server that discloses various typesof services defined in a GATT profile, for exchanging data by Bluetooth®Low Energy with external devices. FIG. 12 is a diagram for describingGATT communication, illustrating an example of a GATT server that theMFP 101 discloses. The GATT server discloses user authentication service1200, Wi-Fi® AP mode start/stop service 1207, and Wi-Fi® connectioninformation acquisition service 1208.

The user authentication service 1200 includes the followingcharacteristics defined in the GATT profile. The profile andcharacteristics in GATT are in a relation like class and membervariables in an object-oriented programming language. When there ischange in the login status of the user of the MFP 101, the CPU 131 ofthe MFP 101 reads and writes the values of the characteristics.

StatusID 1201 is a characteristic indicating the status of the MFP 101regard to whether login is enabled. The communication terminal 102 setsthe StatusID 1201 to Read, and obtains the status of the MFP 101regarding whether login is enabled. The MFP 101 stores a value shown inTable 2 (list of statuses of whether login is enabled) as the value ofthe StatusID 1201.

TABLE 2 StatusID Meaning 1 Login enabled 2 Login not enabled, due toanother user being logged in 3 Login not enabled, due to login screennot being displayed 4 Login not enabled, due to cooperative loginfunctions being forbidden

When there is change in the user login status or screen transition stateof the MFP 101, this value is changed by the CPU 131. When there is achange in the value of the StatusID 1201, change of the value isnotified to the communication terminal 102 that is in Bluetooth® LowEnergy connection, by Notification in the Attribute Protocol (ATT). AStatusID of “4” will be described with reference to FIG. 13B. FIG. 13Bexemplifies an administrator settings screen of the MFP 101. The MFP 101according to the present embodiment can switch ON/OFF of userauthentication functions and ON/OFF of cooperative login functions, asoperation settings of the MFP 101. The administrator of the MFP 101 canchange the operation settings of the MFP 101 via the screen in FIG. 13B.The MFP 101 switches operations of user authentication functions basedon the settings.

In a case where user authentication is set to OFF, the MFP 101 is in astate where the functions of the MFP 101 can be used via the operatingunit 136 without the user being requested to login. Accordingly, the MFP101 stores “4” in the StatusID. Even if the user authentication is setto ON, local login cooperating with the communication terminal 102 mustbe forbidden if the cooperative login functions are set to OFF.Accordingly, the MFP 101 stores “4” in the StatusID.

Returning to FIG. 12, the other characteristics of the userauthentication service 1200 will be described. UserName 1202, Password1203, and DomainName 1204 are each characteristic for writing useridentification information at the time of the communication terminal 102making a login request.

RequestID 1205 is a characteristic for the communication terminal 102 towrite a request to the user authentication service. Characteristics 1202through 1205 are configured so that external devices that haveestablished Bluetooth® Low Energy communication can write values.Characteristics 1202 through 1205 can also be configured ascharacteristics that need encryption to access.

The communication terminal 102 writes 1 indicating a login request or 2indicating a logout request, or the like, to RequestID 1205. Uponaccepting an instruction to write 1 to RequestID 1205 from thecommunication terminal 102, the CPU 131 of the MFP 101 performs userauthentication based on the user identification information (i.e.,authentication information received by Bluetooth® Low Energycommunication) written to characteristics 1202 through 1204.

ResultID 1206 is a characteristic that stores authentication results(whether login results are success or fail), when the MFP 101 receives alogin request from the communication terminal 102 and performs userauthentication. For example, the MFP 101 writes a value indicating loginsuccessful or login failed or the like, to the ResultID 1206, asauthentication results. When authentication results are stored in theResultID 1206 at the MFP 101, the change of value of the authenticationresults is notified to the communication terminal 102 in Bluetooth® LowEnergy communication, by Notification in ATT.

Wi-Fi® AP mode start/stop service 1207 is a service used when switchingto the access point operation mode of the MFP 101 from the communicationterminal 102. Wi-Fi® connection information acquisition service 1208 isa service used in a case of obtaining connection information to an MFPfrom a communication terminal. These services are appropriately usedwhen performing handover from Bluetooth® Low Energy communication towireless communication conforming to IEEE 802.11. Thus, thecommunication terminal 102 performs interactive Bluetooth® Low Energycommunication with the MFP 101 by reading and writing characteristics ofthe GATT server that the MFP 101 discloses.

Returning to the description in FIG. 10, in S1011 the CPU 111 obtainsthe local login status of the MFP 101. Specifically, the cooperativeapplication 310 and OS 300 collaborate to access the user authenticationservice 1200 that the MFP 101 discloses, and obtains the value of thecharacteristic indicating the local login status (StatusID 1201 in FIG.12).

Next, in S1012, the CPU 111 determines whether the intended MFP 101 isin a state where login is enabled, based on the local login statusobtained in S1009. Specifically, a case where the StatusID 1201 is “1”,the CPU 111 determines that login is enabled, and the flow advances toS1013. In a case where the StatusID 1201 is other than “1”, the CPU 111judges that login is not enabled (login disabled), and the flow advancesto S1016.

In S1013, the CPU 111 transmits a login request to the MFP 101 usingBluetooth® Low Energy communication. Specifically, the cooperativeapplication 310 and OS 300 collaborate to write to the UserName 1202,Password 1203, and DomainName 1204 of the MFP 101, based on usercredentials stored in the user authentication information 311. Thecooperative application 310 and OS 300 collaborate to write a valueindicating a login request to the RequestID 1205.

In S1014, the CPU 111 determines whether login has been successful. In acase where authentication is performed at the MFP 101 side based on thelogin request, and a value is written to ResultID 1206 that is theresult thereof, the change in value is notified to the communicationterminal 102 by Notification in ATT. In response to this notification,the CPU 111 obtains the ResultID 1206 from the MFP 101 via Bluetooth®Low Energy communication, and determines whether login has beensuccessful. In a case where a value indicating login successful has beenobtained as the ResultID, the flow advances to S1015. In a case where avalue indicating login failed has been obtained as the ResultID, theflow advances to S1016.

In S1015, the CPU 111 displays the login successful screen exemplifiedin FIG. 5C. In S1016, the CPU 111 displays the authentication errorscreen exemplified in FIG. 5D. The content of the pop-up 531 displayedon the authentication error screen differs depending on the type oflogin error. FIG. 5D exemplifies an error screen in a case wheredetermination has been made in S1014 that authentication has failed, asone example. The pop-up in FIG. 5D can suggest to the user that there isa possibility that user authentication information settings in thecooperative application 310 are incorrect.

Next, a case of another login error will be described. For example, theCPU 111 notifies the user why the error occurred, based on the value ofStatusID obtained in S1011. For example, in a case where the value ofStatusID is “2”, a notification such as “Could not login because anotheruser is already logged in.” or the like is made. In a case where thevalue of StatusID is “3”, a notification such as “Could not loginbecause another screen is displayed. Switch to the login screen and tryagain.” or the like is made. In a case where the value of StatusID is“4”, a notification such as “Could not login because multifunctionperipheral panel login functions are not permitted. Please contact theMFP administrator for details.” or the like is made.

Processing at MFP Side

Next, control of the MFP 101 that receives the login request from thecommunication terminal 102 will be described with reference to FIG. 12.To facilitate explanation, FIG. 12 exemplifies control in a case wherethe MFP 101 accepts a login request from a mobile terminal.

In S1101, the CPU 131 receives a login request from the communicationterminal 102 by Bluetooth® Low Energy communication. In 51202, userauthentication processing is executed based on the login requestreceived in S1101. Specifically, the CPU 131 obtains user authenticationinformation obtained by reading the values of characteristics 1202through 1204, which are characteristics of the user authenticationservice 1200. Determination is made whether a matching user account ismanaged in the user management database stored in the storage 134, basedon the obtained user authentication information. If there is a matchinguser account, authentication is successful. If there is no matching useraccount, authentication has failed. In S1103, the CPU 131 determineswhether to permit login, based on the results of authentication inS1102. In a case where the results of authentication are OK, the flowadvances to S1105. In a case where authentication results are NG, theflow advances to S1104. While a case of using a user management databasewithin the MFP 101 is exemplified here, this is not restrictive. Forexample, an external LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) serveror the like can be used for user authentication. In this case, the MFP101 transmits the user authentication information to the LDAP server,and commissions the LDAP server to perform user authenticationprocessing. The MFP 101 can determine whether to permit login, based onthe result of authentication received from the LDAP server.

In S1104, the CPU 131 updates the authentication results and notifiesthe mobile terminal of the authentication results. The CPU 131 writesinformation indicating login failed to ResultID 1206. When a value iswritten to ResultID 1206, the communication terminal 102 is notifiedthat a value change has been performed by Notification in ATT. Uponcompletion of the processing in S1104, the series of processing whenreceiving a login request ends. In addition to notifying the mobileterminal, the CPU 131 displays a pop-up on the operating unit 136 toprovide notification that login has failed.

In S1106, the CPU 131 displays the main screen on the operating unit136. The user can use the MFP's 101 functions via the main screendisplayed on the operating unit 136. The screen displayed in S1105 canbe appropriately changed depending on the authority of the user loggingin, or individual settings of the user logging in. According to theseries of processing described so far, the user can login to the MFP 101by simply holding the user's communication terminal 102 up to the MFP101, instead of performing operations such as inputting user ID andpassword in a case of logging into the MFP 101.

Next, in S1106, the CPU 131 performs updating of authentication results,updating of local login information, and notification of theauthentication results to the mobile terminal. The CPU 131 writes avalue indicating login successful to ResultID 1206. When a value iswritten to ResultID 1206, the communication terminal 102 is notifiedthat a value change has been performed by Notification in ATT. The CPU131 also writes “2” to the StatusID 1201 as local login information.When the processing is completed, the flow advances to S1107.

In S1107, the CPU 131 determines whether a user instruction has beenaccepted via the operating unit 136 to execute a function. In a casewhere a user instruction has been accepted via the operating unit 136 toexecute a function, the flow advances to S1108. In a case where a userinstruction has not been accepted via the operating unit 136 to executea function, the flow advances to S1109.

In S1108, the CPU 131 executes functions based on user instructions. Forexample, copy functions of printing an image obtained by scanning anoriginal at the printing unit 140, facsimile function of transmitting animage obtained by scanning, and so forth, are executed based on userinstructions. When execution of functions is completed, the flowadvances to S1109.

In S1109, the CPU 131 determines whether an instruction to logout theuser has been accepted. In a case where an instruction to logout theuser has been accepted, the flow advances to S1110. In a case where aninstruction to logout the user has not been accepted, the flow returnsto S1107.

In S1110, the CPU 131 performs logout processing and updates the locallogin status. “1” indicating login enabled is written to the StatusID.

In S1111, the CPU 131 displays a login screen (not illustrated) on theoperating unit 136 and ends the series of processing.

As described above, appropriate notification control is performed in acase of logging in from a communication terminal to an external devicein the present embodiment so user convenience can be improved. Also,according to the present embodiment, the function of cooperative loginwith the communication terminal 102 enables the user to be appropriatelynotified of various error factors occurring due to combinations ofsettings of devices, statuses of devices, and so forth.

The user can be notified in each step in FIG. 9, so the user can benotified at an early stage in the sequence of performing loginprocessing. Accordingly, useless user operations can be suppressed frombeing performed. Thus, according to the present disclosure, a frameworkcan be provided to improve user convenience in a case of logging into anearby external device from a communication terminal.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a framework can be providedthat suppresses unnecessary user operations from being performed in acase where settings used for login processing have not beenappropriately made by notifying the user before a login request is made.Modification

In the above-described embodiment, the local login state is confirmed inS1011 in FIG. 10, and in a case where a user has already logged in,local login using the communication terminal 102 fails. The presentdisclosure is not restricted to this. For example, in anotherembodiment, a configuration can be provided where, even in a case wherea user previously logged into the MFP 101, local login using thecommunication terminal 102 is given priority. In this case, thecommunication terminal 102 writes a logout request to Request ID 1205 tocause the MFP 101 to logout the user currently logged in. Subsequently,the processing of S1013 and thereafter can be re-executed.

In the above-described embodiment, the degree of closeness of anexternal device, such as an MFP that is in the vicinity of thecommunication terminal 102, is determined using received signal strengthof advertising packets, but this is not restrictive. For example, thedistance between devices can be estimated from the ratio between thetransmission signal strength (Tx) contained in the advertising packetsand the received signal strength, and determination be performedregarding the degree of closeness based on the distance. The degree ofcloseness between the communication terminal 102 and an external deviceto be logged into can be determined using other formats, such as, forexample, Wi-Fi Awarem or the like.

Other Embodiments

Embodiments can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatusthat reads out and executes computer executable instructions recorded ona storage medium (e.g., non-transitory computer-readable storage medium)to perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the systemor apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computerexecutable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functionsof one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer maycomprise one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessing unit (MPU), or other circuitry, and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate computer processors. The computerexecutable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example,from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include,for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), aread only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, anoptical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD),or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and thelike.

While exemplary embodiments have been described, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplaryembodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded thebroadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications andequivalent structures and functions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method executed by a communication terminal which is capable of performing Bluetooth communication conforming to Bluetooth specifications and is configured to accept a setting of enabling or disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication from a user of the communication terminal, the method comprising: displaying a predetermined button on a display of the communication terminal; receiving a touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user to log in to a target printer; and performing a series of processing based on the receiving of the touch operation to the displayed predetermined button, wherein the series of processing includes detecting of and pairing with, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, the target printer that the user is to log in to, and transmitting, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, a login request to the paired target printer, wherein the method further comprises, if a touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user who is to log in to the target printer is received at the time when the setting is a setting of disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication, displaying a predetermined notification about the setting for the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal on the display of the communication terminal.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of the predetermined notification on the display of the communication terminal includes: determining whether the setting of the communication terminal is currently a setting of enabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication when the touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user who is to log in to the target printer is received; and displaying the predetermined notification about the setting for the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal on the display on a basis of a result of the determination.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detecting of the target printer using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal includes: receiving wirelessly one or more advertising packets conforming to the Bluetooth specifications; measuring radio wave strength of the received one or more advertising packets; and detecting, as the target printer to be paired with the communication terminal in accordance with the Bluetooth specifications, one printer based on the measured radio wave strength.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the paired target printer receives the transmitted login request, and performs a login process based on the received login request.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the series of processing includes displaying, on the display of the communication terminal, a message prompting the user to bring the communication terminal closer to the target printer.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth specifications correspond to Bluetooth Low Energy specifications.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined notification includes a notification about the setting of enabling or disabling the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined notification includes a message prompting the user to enable the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal.
 9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing the Bluetooth communication using a Generic Attribute (GATT) Profile of the Bluetooth specifications between the communication terminal and the target printer which has been paired with the communication terminal.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transmitting of the login request to the target printer which has been paired with the communication terminal in accordance with the Bluetooth specifications, transmits the login request using the GATT Profile.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in accordance with an application run on an operating system (OS) of the communication terminal.
 12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising registering one or more printers into the application, wherein the login request is not transmitted to the target printer if the target printer is not registered in the application.
 13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising inquiring of an OS of the communication terminal about a setting of the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal, wherein the displaying displays the predetermined notification on the display of the communication terminal if the OS responds to the inquiry that the setting of the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal is the setting of disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication.
 14. A method executed by a communication terminal which is capable of performing Bluetooth communication conforming to Bluetooth specifications and is configured to accept a setting of enabling or disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication from a user of the communication terminal, comprising: displaying a predetermined button on a display of the communication terminal; receiving a touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user; and performing a series of processing based on the receiving of the touch operation to the displayed predetermined button at the time when the setting is a setting of disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication, wherein the series of processing includes detecting of, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, a target printer that the user is to log in to, and transmitting, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, a login request to the detected target printer, wherein the method further comprises, if a touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user who is to log in to the target printer is received at the time when the setting is a setting of disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication, displaying a predetermined notification about the setting for the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal on the display of the communication terminal.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the displaying of the predetermined notification on the display of the communication terminal includes: determining whether or not the setting of the communication terminal is currently a setting of enabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication when the touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user is received to log in the target printer; and displaying the predetermined notification about the setting for the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal on the display on a basis of a result of the determination.
 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the detecting of the target printer using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal includes: receives wirelessly one or more advertising packets conforming to the Bluetooth specifications; measures radio wave strength of the received one or more advertising packets; detects, as the target printer to be paired with the communication terminal in accordance with the Bluetooth specifications, one printer based on the measured radio wave strength; and pairs with the one printer detected based on the measured radio wave strength, wherein the transmitting of the login request transmits, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, the login request to the detected and paired target printer.
 17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the detected target printer receives the transmitted login request, and performs a login process based on the received login request.
 18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the series of processing includes displaying, on the display of the communication terminal, a message prompting the user to bring the communication terminal closer to the target printer.
 19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the Bluetooth specifications corresponds to Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) specifications.
 20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined notification includes a notification about the setting of enabling or disabling the Bluetooth communication function of the communication terminal.
 21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined notification includes a message prompting the user to enable the Bluetooth communication function of the communication terminal.
 22. The method according to claim 14, further comprising performing the Bluetooth communication using a GATT (Generic Attribute) Profile of the Bluetooth specifications between the communication terminal and the target printer which has been detected.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the transmitting of the login request to the target printer which has been detected, transmits the login request using the GATT Profile.
 24. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method is implemented in accordance with an application run on an operating system (OS) of the communication terminal.
 25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising registering one or more printers into the application, wherein the login request is not transmitted to the target printer if the target printer is not registered in the application.
 26. The method according to claim 14, further comprising inquiring of an operating system (OS) of the communication terminal about a setting of the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal, wherein the displaying displays the predetermined notification on the display of the communication if the OS responds to the inquiry that the setting of the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal is the setting of disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication.
 27. A communication terminal comprising: a Bluetooth communication interface capable of performing Bluetooth communication conforming to Bluetooth specifications; a display on which information is displayed; and a controller, including a processor and a memory, configured to: accept a setting of enabling or disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication from a user of the communication terminal; display a predetermined button on the display; receive a touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user to log in to a target printer; and perform a series of processing based on the receiving of the touch operation to the displayed predetermined button, wherein the series of processing includes detecting of and pairing with, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, the target printer that the user is to log in to, and transmitting, using the Bluetooth communication performed by the communication terminal, a login request to the paired target printer, wherein the controller is further configured to display, if a touch operation to the displayed predetermined button by the user who is to log in to the target printer is received at the time when the setting is a setting of disabling the communication terminal to perform the Bluetooth communication, a predetermined notification about the setting for the Bluetooth communication of the communication terminal on the display. 